Recap: Canes Clinch Third Straight Division Title With Win Over Florida

SUNRISE, FL. -The Carolina Hurricanes closed out their 82-game regular season with a bang, taking a 6-4 victory from the Florida Panthers Thursday.

The Story

After snapping a three-game skid on Tuesday against Detroit, the Canes arrived in South Florida with the possibility of playing one of three different teams in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The variety of outcomes would pit the club against either the Islanders, Rangers, or Panthers, potentially also relying upon the result of tonight's game between the New Jersey Devils and Washington Capitals to reach the outcome.
However, the simplest possible solution for Carolina was just to win, and they did.
With a big-game feel right from the opening puck drop, the Canes were able to claim the game's first goal inside the first 10 minutes. Facing former Hurricane Alex Lyon, Brent Burns placed a bullet from the point through traffic.
The 17th goal of the season for #8 would go on to be the only tally of the first period after Frederik Andersen was tested in a limited capacity at the other end of the ice.
There was just one goal to be found in the second period as well, this time coming via Jesperi Kotkaniemi. As the Canes continued to get toward their patented game - pressure in the offensive zone and giving up few chances - the former allowed Kotkaniemi to double his team's lead.

After 40 minutes it felt like the Panthers had not been threatening on the offensive side of things and the Canes were ahead by a pair, giving plenty of reason to feel confident.
Then, in the third, things got crazy.
Florida scored twice in the first 3:33 of the period to completely erase Carolina's advantage and seemingly stun them. Rod Brind'Amour took his timeout after the second tally, having to resettle his club, especially with postseason implications on the line.
How would they respond? With two goals separated by just 21 seconds in the 2:55 following.
Back in front, 4-2, the Canes were able to hold Florida at bay for 10 minutes before Shayne Gostisbehere seemed to put the icing on the cake with an empty net goal.
A three-goal advantage with just 2:40 on the clock. Done deal, right?
Florida struck twice in just 38 seconds, crawling back within one to make it a 5-4 game.
As Canes fans watched on pins and needles, Sebastian Aho would then add a second empty-netter, this time sealing the deal. The final horn would sound and after an eight-goal third period, a 6-4 final score gave the club a third consecutive division championship.

They Said It

Rod Brind'Amourgiving his initial thoughts on how the team has captured back-to-back-to-back division titles and what his feelings are about it...
"It's the guys we have in that room. They're as honest as they come. They go out there and they earn their way every night. That's what you see and that's the way we have to get it done. Top to bottom, it doesn't matter who it is, they come to play. I'm proud of the group. It's kind of neat. It's a big accomplishment. The division we're in... it says a lot. But that's not what we came to do. It's okay, but we've got bigger things that we obviously want to accomplish."
Jordan Staalproviding his thoughts on the contest, including the wild swing of events in the third...
"It was an interesting one. Obviously they're a team that can turn it on pretty quickly and they make you pay. We did a great job when they did push. Unfortunately they got two quick ones and we did a great job of regrouping and getting back to our game, getting two quick ones right back. it was great resilience from our group."
Jalen Chatfieldafter another evening with three goals being scored by the defense...
"It's a full team effort. Our forwards do a great job of getting it to the net. We have bodies in front of the net all the time. We work on shooting a lot from the back end. Getting our shots on net is huge and it has just so happened that they've gone in this year."

Bonus Notes

• The Canes wrap up the regular season 52-21-9 and winners of two in a row.
• Burns' second goal of the night moved him into a three-way tie with Dougie Hamilton and Brady Skjei for the most goals by a Canes blueliner in a single season (18).
• With that, the Canes are just the 19th team in NHL history to have two defensemen score 18 or more goals, and the first club to do so since the 1992-93 Washington Capitals.
• Andersen ended his night with 30 saves on 34 shots, finishing his regular season record 21-11-1.

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What's Next

The Canes are scheduled to practice Saturday and Sunday. The Canes will host the Islanders for Game One of their Round One series on Monday at PNC Arena. The contest will air on ESPN2 and begin at a time to be announced. A full schedule is expected to be revealed by the NHL following the conclusion of Friday's final regular season games.
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